Electronic components such as integrated chips generally produce heat when operating. The heat is then transferred to an object to which the electronic component is attached and/or to the surrounding air. However, cooling solutions may be necessary for certain electronic components to maintain the operational temperature thereof below a critical temperature, which if reached, the electronic component may either not operate efficiently or fail due to heat damage. Various known cooling solutions for such electronic components can be used. For example, a heat sink that is typically constructed with copper can be attached to the outer surface of the electronic component with a thermally conductive adhesive. The heat generated by the electronic component is then transferred by conduction to the copper heat sink through the adhesive. The copper heat sink then transfers the heat to the surrounding air by convection. To provide additional cooling, a fan may also be placed near or on the copper heat sink to increase the air flow near and inside the structure of the heat sink to increase the heat transfer by convention.
Air cooling, however, fails to provide adequate cooling for certain electronic devices that use heat generating components. In small electronic devices or certain electronic devices, the internal space between the various components may be limited. Accordingly, even if a copper heat sink is used with or without a fan to cool a heat generating component, the limited space in the electronic device does not provide proper air circulation for the cooling of the heat generating component. This problem is further amplified in certain electronic devices where circuit substrates having heat generating components mounted thereon may be stacked on top of each other. Furthermore, cooling electronic components mounted on stacked circuit substrates becomes yet a bigger issue when one or more of the stacked substrates are double-sided, i.e., include heat generating components on both sides thereof. Although spacers can be provided between the stacked substrates to distance the substrates from each other to provide air gaps, such air gaps may not be sufficient to provide adequate air flow to cool the components that are positioned between a pair of stacked circuit substrates.
Various solutions to the above-described problem of cooling stacked substrates exist. However, most of these solutions solve the problem of cooling only single-sided stacked substrates, which are substrates that include heat generating components mounted only on one side of the substrate. One solution for cooling a double-side stacked substrates is to provide various heat conductive paths from each circuit substrate that connect to a heat sink which is disposed on top of the stack of substrates. However, this solution does not address the problem of limited air flow between the stacked substrates to cool the heat generating components. Additionally, in certain electronic devices where space is limited the noted solution occupies a relatively large volume due to the presence of the heat sink. Therefore, none of the solutions solve the problem of having single-sided or double-sided stacked substrates with adequate cooling provided and implemented in electronic devices where space is limited.
Therefore, there is a need for a cooling solution for single-sided or double-sided stacked substrates that can be implemented in electronic devices where space is limited.